Is belief in the previous messengers essential in the Muslim's creed?

Belief in all the messengers sent by Allah to mankind, without making distinction between them, is one of the pillars of the Muslim's creed without which his faith is invalid. Moreover, the denial of any messenger or prophet contradicts the basic principles of the religion. All prophets of Allah brought glad tidings of the advent of the last Prophet, Muhammd (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Furthermore, many of the prophets and messengers sent by Allah to various nations were mentioned in the Noble Qur’an like Nūh (Noah), Abraham, Ismā‘īl (Ishmael), Is-hāq (Isaac), Ya‘qūb (Jacob), Yūsuf (Joseph), Moses, David, Sulaymān (Solomon), and Jesus, and there are others who were not mentioned. So, the probability that some of the religious characters in Hinduism and Buddhism, like Rama, Krishna, and Gautama Buddha, could be from the prophets who were sent by Allah is not totally far-fetched. However, there is no supporting evidence from the Noble Qur’an on that; thus, the Muslim must not believe in it. Differences between creeds appeared only when people started sanctifying and worshiping their prophets instead of Allah.